Infant chair

ABSTRACT

An infant chair having a seat portion carried by a support portion is provided. The seat portion includes two support pins at a proximal end thereof received within the support portion for connecting the seat portion thereto. The support pins are disposed above a center of gravity of the seat portion and define a substantially vertical swing axis therebetween. The seat portion is configured to oscillate about the swing axis.

RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/313,862, filed on Mar. 28, 2016, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to infant chairs, in particular those designed to bounce and/or otherwise move using the weight of the child therewithin.

BACKGROUND

Infant chairs are commonly used to place young children when they are awake. Such chairs typically comprise a seat or a sling for supporting the child in a reclined position, and may include means to provide a soothing movement, such as bouncing, vibration, swinging, etc. Infant chairs may further comprise playthings or other activities to occupy a child's attention when sitting/reclining therein.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, there is provided an infant chair having a seat portion carried by a support portion, the seat portion comprising two connecting pins at a proximal end thereof received within the support portion for connecting the seat portion thereto, the support pins being disposed above a center of gravity of the seat portion and defining a substantially vertical swing axis therebetween, the seat portion being configured to oscillate about the swing axis.

The connecting pins may project downwardly from an upper portion of the seat portion.

The seat portion may be characterized by spring properties which facilitate oscillation thereof about the swing axis when a distal end of the seat portion is displaced horizontally from a rest position thereof, at least when carrying a child therewithin.

The seat portion may comprise a frame supporting a seat body. The frame may comprise a hanger for hanging the seat body therefrom. The hanger may comprise a curved elongate member. Ends of the elongate member may constitute the connecting pins. The elongate member may comprise two or more subsections coupled to one another. The elongate member may be made of a metal material.

The connecting pins may form an acute angle with the hanger.

The seat body may be made of an accommodating material.

The support portion may comprise a seat support configured for receiving therewithin the support pins of the seat portion.

According to some examples, the support portion may comprise a base for resting on a horizontal surface, the seat support portion being provided with an element separate from the base. According to other examples, the support portion may comprise a base for resting on a horizontal surface, the seat support portion being formed with the base.

The support portion may comprise two bores having upwardly-disposed openings for receiving therewithin the connecting pins. According to some examples, the bores may be configured for rigidly maintaining the connecting pins therewithin. According to other examples, the bores are configured for rotatably maintaining the connecting pins therewithin. The infant chair may further comprise one or more bearings within each bore for receipt therein of the connecting pins.

The seat portion may be configured to bounce when a distal end of the seat portion is displaced vertically from a rest position thereof.

The infant chair may further comprise an arresting assembly configured to limit vertical movement of the distal, free end of the seat portion.

The arresting assembly may span between the distal end of the seat portion and the support portion.

The arresting assembly may be configured for detachable attachment to one or both of the distal end and the support portion.

The arresting assembly may comprise two or more members longitudinally displaceable with respect to one another.

The arresting assembly may comprise a damping element acting on at least one of the members.

The arresting assembly may comprise a locking arrangement configured to selectively prevent relative movement of the members.

The arresting assembly may comprise a bounce-limiting arrangement configured to selectively define upper and lower limits of movement of the distal end of the seat portion.

The arresting assembly may comprise a strap spanning between the distal end of the seat portion and the support portion. The strap may be configured for detachable attachment to one or both of the distal end and the support portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an infant chair according to the presently disclosed subject matter;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the infant chair illustrated in FIG. 1A, with a seat body thereof removed;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a mounting portion of the infant chair illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1B; and

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of other examples of an infant chair, with a seat body thereof removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, there is provided a chair, which is generally designated at 10, and which may be designed to bear and operate under the weight of an infant or young child. The chair 10 comprises a support portion 12 carrying a seat portion 14 disposed thereabove. It will be appreciated that herein the disclosure and claims, terms relating to direction, such as “up,” “down,” “above,” “below,” etc., and similar/related terms are used with reference to the orientation in the accompanying drawings based on a typical usage of the chair 10 and its constituent elements, unless indicated otherwise or clear from context.

The seat portion 14 comprises a frame 16 (seen in FIG. 1B) supporting a seat body 18 (seen in FIG. 1A) in which the child may be laid. The seat body 18 may be made of any suitable material, may have any desired rigidity (e.g., made of a rigid plastic material, a flexible and/or accommodating material such as fabric, etc.), and/or may be provided with one or more accessories, such as a safety strap 20.

The frame 16 comprises a hanger 22 (seen in FIG. 1B), which may be of any suitable shape, on which the seat body 18 is mounted, for example by hanging, being clipped, etc., and two downwardly projecting support pins 24 (better seen, e.g., in FIG. 2). The hanger 22 and support pins 24 are co-disposed giving rise to an acute angle therebetween, i.e., when the support pins project downwardly in a substantially vertical orientation, the hanger is oriented such that it slopes downwardly from top ends of the support pins (i.e., the ends to which it is attached).

The frame 16 may be made of any suitable material, for example a metal, and is characterized by spring properties (e.g., elasticity) such that, when a child is lying in the seat body 18 and the seat portion 14 is pivoted with respect to the support portion 12, the frame will, upon release, oscillate about its original position (i.e., its rest or neutral position) in a manner which is soothing for the child. Accordingly, the frame 16 may consist of a single suitably shaped element. According to some modifications (not illustrated), the frame 16 may be assembled from two or more separate elements.

The support portion 12 is designed to rest on a floor or other horizontal surface (herein, the term “floor” will be used to include any suitable horizontal surface). Accordingly, it comprises a base, which generally indicated at 26, and a seat support 28. The base 26 is designed for resting directly on the floor, and may comprise a plurality of horizontal members 30, e.g., attached to one another, or a single member similarly formed, wherein bottom surfaces 32 thereof are generally coplanar, thereby facilitating stable resting on the floor. It will be appreciated that wherein the base 26 is described above with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B as comprising horizontal members arranged along a path substantially below the seat portion 14, any suitable base may be provided without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter, mutatis mutandis; e.g., the base may be formed as an arcuate member open away from the seat support 28, it may comprise several legs, etc. Another non-limiting example of the base 26 is illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

The seat support 28 is connected to the base 26, and rises upwardly therefrom. It may be formed separately from the base 26 and be assembled therewith, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, or be formed integrally therewith. It comprises a lower end 34 configured for attaching to the base 26, and an upper end 36 (seen in FIG. 1B) comprising a seat mounting portion 38, configured for facilitating mounting of the seat portion 14 to the support portion 12. Depending on the construction of the base 26, the lower end 34 may comprise two branches 40, each connected to one end of the base.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the seat mounting portion 38 may be formed as a separate element from the rest of the seat support 28, such as within a plug 42, or integrally formed therewith (not illustrated). The seat mounting portion 38 comprises two bores 44, each having a cross-section area sufficient to receive therein one of the support pins 24 of the frame 16 of the seat portion 14 and permit free rotation therein, and in each of which is received one of the support pins. Each of the bores 44 may terminate in an upwardly-disposed opening 46 through which one of the support pins 24 is received downwardly therethrough. One or more bearing 48, each configured to snuggly receiver therein a support pin 24, may be received within each of the bores 44, thereby facilitating the rotation of the support pin therewithin.

When the support pins 24 are so received within the bores, the hanger 22 of the frame 16, and thus the seat body 18, is carried such that its center of gravity is maintained below the points of attachment thereof with the support portion, i.e., the support pins within the bores 44.

Optionally, the bores 44 may be open at both ends, i.e., each further comprising a downwardly-disposed opening 50, for example for accommodating therethrough a free end of a support pin 24. The bores 44 may each be formed with sockets 52, i.e., portions thereof having a cross-section which is larger than that of the rest of the bore, each configured for receiving therein a bearing 48.

According to some examples, for example as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the bores 44 may be disposed substantially parallely to one another. According to other examples (not illustrated), the bores 44 may be formed such that they are angled with respect to one another, for example inwardly in an upward direction. The bores 44 may be formed such that they are substantially vertical, i.e., perpendicular with the plane in which the bottom surfaces 32 of the base 26 lie, such that they are disposed perpendicular with the floor when the chair 10 is resting thereupon.

In operation, a child (not illustrated) is laid in the seat body 18. The seat body 18 may be swung, for example by a caretaker, in a side-to-side motion, such as indicated by arrow S in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In order to effect such a motion, a caretaker pivots the bottom free end of the seat portion 14 sideways in a direction indicated by arrow S. As described above, the seat body 18 will, upon release, begin to oscillate, thereby swinging from side-to-side. It will be appreciated that the side-to-side swinging motion, is at least partially facilitated (for example in connection with the degree of damping thereof) by the carrying of the seat portion 14 by the support portion 12 using a pair of support pins 24, each of which may rotate independently of the other. It will be further appreciated that the swinging motion described above may be about a swing axis, for example as indicated by X in FIG. 1B, which is spaced from of the support pins 24, e.g., disposed therebetween; the frame 16 may be constructed such that the swing axis X is dynamic, i.e., moving and/or pivoting over the course of the oscillation.

In addition, further owing to the spring properties of the frame, the seat body may be bounced, for example by a caretaker or by force produced by a child within the seat body 18 kicking, in an up-and-down motion, such as indicated by arrow B in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In order to effect such a motion, a caretaker pushes the bottom free end of the seat portion 14 upward or downwards in a direction indicated by arrow B. The seat body will, upon release, bounce up and down, e.g., about a bounce axis, for example by Y in FIG. 1B, which is proximate to the uppermost parts of the support pins 24, i.e., where the frame 16 bends, thereby defining them.

The chair 10 may be provided with an optional arresting assembly 54. The arresting assembly 54 may span between a free end (e.g., the lower end) of the frame 16 and the base 26, thereby preventing swinging and/or bouncing of the seat body 18. As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the arresting assembly 54 may comprise two telescoping members 56 a, 56 b. A top end 58 of the arresting assembly 54 may be formed with a slot 60, e.g., to allow selectively engagement/disengagement thereof with the frame 16. When engaged with the frame 16 as illustrated, the arresting assembly 54 prevents swinging of the seat body 18. The arresting assembly 54 may comprise any one or more of the following modifications:

-   -   The arresting assembly 54 may comprise a damping element (not         illustrated), for example a spring within one of the telescoping         members 56 b, which is borne upon by the other of the         telescoping members 56 a. Such a damping element may be useful,         e.g., to mitigate the weight of a heavy child within the seat         body 18.     -   The arresting assembly 54 may comprise a locking arrangement         (not illustrated), configured to selectively allow securing the         position of the telescoping members 56 a, 56 b to one another,         i.e., preventing relative movement of the members, thereby         arresting the seat body at a position, preventing bouncing         thereof. The locking arrangement may facilitate arresting the         seat body at one of several positions. It may also be configured         to be disengaged, thereby permitting free bouncing of the seat         body 18, for example as described above.     -   The arresting assembly 54 may comprise a bounce-limiting         arrangement (not illustrated), configured to selectively define         upper and lower limits of bouncing.

It will be appreciated that the arresting assembly 54 may be provided with any suitable combination of, e.g., the above modifications, mutatis mutandis.

As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the arresting assembly 54 may comprise a flexible strap, looped, at a top end thereof, to the frame 16, and at a bottom end thereof to an eyelet 62 projecting from, or formed integrally with, the base 26. The bottom end of the arresting assembly 54 may be provided with a closing means (not illustrated) such as a snap, a hook and loop fastener such as is sold under the trade name Velcro™, or any other suitable arrangement which allows selective engagement/disengagement of the arresting assembly with the eyelet 62.

It will be appreciated that the arresting assembly 54 may be provided so as to be assembled opposite to that illustrated in and described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, i.e., with a top end thereof provided as per the description herein of the bottom end, and a bottom end thereof provided as per the description herein of the top end.

According to some modifications, the frame 16 may be provided such that the hanger 22 and support pins 24 give rise to an obtuse angle therebetween, i.e., when the support pins project downwardly in a substantially vertical orientation, the hanger is oriented such that it slopes upwardly from top ends of the support pins. The support portion 12 may be modified accordingly, e.g., such that the mounting portion 38 thereof is disposed substantially lower than illustrated, for example close to the floor.

According to other modifications, the bores 44 may be formed such that they are not perpendicular with the plane in which the bottom surfaces 32 of the base 26 lie, e.g., angled, in the upward direction, toward the seat portion 14.

According to further modifications, the bores 44 may receive the support pins 24 without bearings. For example, they may be formed so as to facilitate free rotation of the support pins 24 therewithin without the use of bearings (e.g., by choice of materials, using any other suitable element or elements configured to facilitate relative rotation between the bores 44 and the support pins therewithin, etc.). According to other examples, the support pins 24 may be fixedly received within the bores 44, e.g., wherein the side-to-side swinging motion of the seat portion 14 is facilitated by elastic deformation of the frame 16, e.g., by twisting thereof, in particular at upper portions of the support pins.

Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter, mutatis mutandis. 

1. An infant chair comprising a seat portion and a support portion, the seat portion being carried by the support portion, the seat portion comprising two support pins at a proximal end thereof received within the support portion for connecting the seat portion thereto, the support pins being disposed above a center of gravity of the seat portion and defining a substantially vertical swing axis therebetween, the seat portion being configured to oscillate about the swing axis.
 2. The infant chair according to claim 1, wherein the support pins project downwardly from an upper portion of the seat portion.
 3. The infant chair according to claim 1, said seat portion having spring properties which facilitate oscillation thereof about the swing axis when a distal end of the seat portion is displaced horizontally from a rest position thereof, at least when carrying a child therewithin.
 4. The infant chair according to claim 1, the seat portion comprising a frame supporting a seat body.
 5. The infant chair according to claim 4, the frame comprising a hanger for hanging the seat body therefrom.
 6. The infant chair according to claim 5, wherein said hanger comprises a curved elongate member.
 7. The infant chair according to claim 6, wherein ends of said elongate member constitute the support pins.
 8. The infant chair according to claim 6, wherein said elongate member comprises two or more subsections coupled to one another.
 9. The infant chair according to claim 6, wherein said elongate member is made of a metal material.
 10. The infant chair according to claim 7, wherein said support pins form an acute angle with the hanger.
 11. The infant chair according to any of claim 4, wherein said seat body is made of an accommodating material.
 12. The infant chair according to claim 1, said support portion comprising a seat support configured for receiving therewithin the support pins of the seat portion.
 13. The infant chair according to claim 12, said support portion comprising a base for resting on a horizontal surface, said seat support portion being provided with an element separate from said base.
 14. The infant chair according to claim 12, said support portion comprising a base for resting on a horizontal surface, said seat support portion being formed with said base.
 15. The infant chair according to claim 12, said seat support comprising two bores having upwardly-disposed openings for receiving therewithin said support pins.
 16. The infant chair according to claim 15, wherein said bores are configured for rigidly maintaining said support pins therewithin.
 17. The infant chair according to claim 15, wherein said bores are configured for rotatably maintaining said support pins therewithin.
 18. The infant chair according to claim 17, further comprising one or more bearings within each bore for receipt therein of the support pins.
 19. The infant chair according to claim 1, wherein the seat portion is configured to bounce when a distal end of the seat portion is displaced vertically from a rest position thereof.
 20. The infant chair according to claim 19, further comprising an arresting assembly configured to limit vertical movement of the distal, free end of the seat portion.
 21. The infant chair according to claim 20, said arresting assembly spanning between the distal end of the seat portion and the support portion.
 22. The infant chair according to claim 21, said arresting assembly being configured for detachable attachment to one or both of said distal end and the support portion.
 23. The infant chair according to claim 20, said arresting assembly comprising two or more members longitudinally displaceable with respect to one another.
 24. The infant chair according to claim 23, said arresting assembly further comprising a damping element acting on at least one of said members.
 25. The infant chair according to claim 23, said arresting assembly further comprising a locking arrangement configured to selectively prevent relative movement of said members.
 26. The infant chair according to claim 20, said arresting assembly further comprising a bounce-limiting arrangement configured to selectively define upper and lower limits of movement of the distal end of the seat portion.
 27. The infant chair according to claim 20, the arresting arrangement comprising a strap spanning between the distal end of the seat portion and the support portion.
 28. The infant chair according to claim 27, wherein said strap is configured for detachable attachment to one or both of said distal end and the support portion. 